In a typical magnetic storage system, digital data is stored in a series of concentric circles or spiral tracks along a storage medium. Data is written to the medium by positioning a read/write head assembly over the medium at a selected location as the storage medium is rotated, and subsequently passing a modulated electric current through the head assembly such that a corresponding magnetic flux pattern is induced in the storage medium. To retrieve the stored data, the head assembly is positioned again over the track as the storage medium is rotated. In this position, the previously stored magnetic flux pattern induces a current in the head assembly that can be converted to the previously recorded digital data. Data can be written using perpendicular magnetic recording, in which data bits are aligned vertically, perpendicular to the disk, or using longitudinal magnetic recording, in which data bits are aligned horizontally in relation to the drive's spinning platter, parallel to the disk. While perpendicular magnetic recording can achieve a greater storage density than longitudinal magnetic recording, read channels have conventionally been designed to process longitudinal magnetic recording signals. A perpendicular magnetic recording signal can be converted by a signal processing differentiation so that it can be processed as if it were a longitudinal magnetic recording signal. However, such processing can limit the data rate and reduce signal amplitude, making the channel sensitive to environmental variation.